Wimbledon conducted its draw on Friday, and for the first time past grass-court success was not a special factor in the seedings.
It has been a long road to this moment, but then Wimbledon, the oldest of all the major tennis tournaments, has no shortage of history.
Started in 1877, it took 50 years to begin seeding players and nearly 100 more for the All England Club to decide that it would adhere exclusively to computer rankings for the men instead of using a seeding committee or a grass-court seeding formula.
“I think it’s the right thing to do,” said Mark Petchey, a coach and former player from Britain who is now a television analyst.